Thursday, January 10, 2008

CNN is now reporting the Ron Paul newsletter fiasco, and their analysis catches something I missed and haven't heard anywhere else.

In some excerpts, the reader may be led to believe the words are indeed from Paul, a resident of Lake Jackson, Texas. In the "Ron Paul Political Report" from October 1992, the writer describes carjacking as the "hip-hop thing to do among the urban youth who play unsuspecting whites like pianos."

The author then offers advice from others on how to avoid being carjacked, including "an ex-cop I know," and says, "I frankly don't know what to make of such advice, but even in my little town of Lake Jackson, Texas, I've urged everyone in my family to know how to use a gun in self defense. For the animals are coming."

In his response to CNN's report, Eric Dondero, a former aide to Dr. Paul, claims in no uncertain terms that Lew Rockwell was Dr. Paul's ghostwriter, a suggestion that should surprise no one. However, if Rockwell did write the bit I just quoted, he went to a lot of trouble to make it sound like Ron Paul had written it.

Did Rockwell ever live in Lake Jackson, Texas? It almost doesn't matter, because everyone knows that Ron Paul does live there. That's enough to suggest to the casual reader that the words are indeed Dr. Paul's. If Rockwell did write this passage and others, he was completely unconcerned that people would confuse his views for Ron's own.

If Ron Paul knows who wrote this stuff -- and I have a hard time believing he doesn't, or doesn't at least know somebody who would know -- he's got to call that person out, and he has to do it now. It's getting harder and harder to maintain the position that Paul knew nothing about what was being said with these newsletters.

I still don't think Dr. Paul is an all out racist, but he's got some racist friends.

Update:Sultan Knish brings to light additional personal details from the newsletter. In a lengthy post he claims that Ron Paul is about being the author of at least some of the newsletters.

Here is an interesting passage reproduced from Sultan Knish's blog and the New Republic's initial report:

It was Ron Paul and not Lew Rockwell who ran for president as a Libertarian in 1988. At least two things are going on here: first, in his response to Kirchick's TNR piece, Dr. Paul said, "The quotations in The New Republic article are not mine and do not represent what I believe or have ever believed. I have never uttered such words and denounce such small-minded thoughts."

If Ron Paul did write the above passage from the newsletter, then his official statement is misleading at best, a flat out lie at worst. In addition, in Congress Dr. Paul has expressed his unabashed admiration for Martin Luther King. This passage is frankly inconsistent with that sentiment.

Finally, it's ironic for Ron Paul or for his ghostwriter to quote so authoritatively the words of a man who lead one of the greatest examples of over-reaching federal power at the time when that institution was abusing its power the most egregiously.

Hey East Coast Libertarian. Thanks for your previous comment. I kind of wish Ron Paul would hoist Lew Rockwell by his own petard. As much as I disagree with Paul about some things, I don't despise him.

On the other hand, Rockwell's vitriolic attacks against the Cato Institute, "beltway libertarians", etc. make him worthy only of contempt. I'd like to see him fall... hard.